ELC590

SAMPLE PREPARATION OUTLINE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Student’s Name :
Matric Number :
Faculty / Group :
Lecturer’s Name :

Title :
Organisational Pattern: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Visual Aid : Power point slides
General Purpose : To persuade
Specific Purpose : To persuade my audience to use their cell phones in a way that
will protect their health
Central Idea : Cell phones pose serious health risks and therefore, we must
change the way we use them or face the medical
repercussions.

Introduction

I. Your cell phone is your constant companion.

II. You use it everywhere you go, day and night.
A. According to my class survey, everyone in this room has a cell phone, and
all of us use it dozens of times every day.
III. But what if your constant companion is dangerous?
IV. What if it is hazardous to your health?
A. Evidence is piling up that long-term use of cell phones can lead to tissue
damage, tumors and even brain cancer.
B. Given that there are 4 billion people worldwide using cell phones, we’re
looking at a problem of potentially staggering magnitude.
1. According to Devra Davis, epidemiologist and author of the
2010 book Disconnect: The Truth about Cell Phone
Radiation, we may be watching “an epidemic in slow
motion”.
V. I never thought much about the possible perils of cell phones until I saw a
CBS news report earlier this year.
VI. After doing extensive research for this speech, it made me realize that cell
phones do in fact pose a danger to our health.
VII. Today, I hope to persuade each of you to use your cell phone in a manner
that will protect your health.
VIII. Because cell phones pose a health risk, we must change the way we use
them or face the medical repercussions.

(Transition: Let’s look more closely at the health risks posed by cell phones.)
1 Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill
 Body

I. Although cell phones are safe in the short run, they pose serious long-term
health risks.
A. Using a cell phone exposes you to radiation that builds up over time.
1. The amount is miniscule in comparison to that given off by
X-ray machines.
a. However, Herberman (2018) explains that the
problem with cell phone radiation is not how much is
emitted at a single time, but how much we are
exposed to with repeated use.

B. More and more scientists are warning about the long-term dangers of cell
phone use.
1. In one study the World Health Organization tracked 10,000
cell phone users over the course of 10 years (2014).
a. The data in this study indicated that subjects who
used a cell phone for 10 or more years doubled the
risk of developing brain tumors.
2. Another study from the Journal of Occupational and
Environment Medicine (2007) surveyed all the previous
research on cell phone use.
a. It found a “consistent pattern of increased risk” for
developing brain tumors among people who used cell
phones for more than 10 years.
i. One example is Alan Marks, a 58-year-old real
estate developer and father of three who talked
on his phone an hour a day for 23 years.
ii. Two years ago, doctors found a golf-ball-sized
tumor in his brain.
.
C. Even cell phone manufacturers warn against keeping phones too close to
the body.
1. Apple, for example recommends keeping the iPhone five-
eighths of an inch away from your body.
2. Makers of the BlackBerry recommend that you keep their
phone a full inch away.

(Transition: So what’s the solution?)

II. You can guard against these risks by making simple changes in the way you
use your cell phone.
A. Do not press your cell phone against your head while talking.
1. You should hold the phone one-half an inch to one full inch
away from your ear.
B. Get in the habit of using ear phones or your phone’s internal speaker.

(Transition: Your health can be protected if you make these adjustments to the way you
use your cell phones.)
2 Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill
 III. There will be serious medical repercussions if you do not change the way you
use your cell phones.
A. Holding the phone close to your head will increase the chances of you
developing brain tumors.
1. Changing the way you talk on your cell phone may be
slightly inconvenient at first but will soon become second
nature.
2. You will avoid the fate of people who have developed cancer
and other conditions from prolonged cell phone use.
i. If Alan Marks had known the dangers of
prolonged cell phone use, he would have done
things a lot differently.

Conclusion

I. Cell phones pose health risks and we must change the way we use them or face the
medical repercussions.
II. So, get in the habit of keeping your cell phone away from your head when talking, and
encourage your friends and family to do the same.
III. Start today with your next phone call.
IV. We can avoid the slow-motion epidemic that doctors and scientists are warning us
about if we just remember to keep cell phones away from our heads.

Reference:

3 Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill
 Davis, D. (2010). Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the
Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family. Boston : Dutton

Hardell, L., Carlberg, M., Sordeqvist, M., Mild, K. J. and Morgan, L. L. (2007). Long-
term Use of Cellular Phones and Brain Tumors: Increased Risk Associated With Use
for ⩾10 Years. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Retrieved from
http://oem.bmj.com/content/64/9/626

Herbermen, R. B. (2008, September 25). Turmors and Cell Phone Use : What the
Science Says. Presented at Oversight and Government Reform Committee, US
House of Representatives. Retrieved from
http://cellphones.procon.org/sourcefiles/Herberman_Testimony.pdf

Parzonik, A. (2010, August 5), Cancer Calling?: East Bay Couple on a Mission to Warn
of Cell Phone Risks. JWeekly.com. Retrieved from
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/58831/cancer-calling-east-bay-couple-on-a-
mission-to-warn-of-cell-phone-risks/

World Health Organization (2014) Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: Mobile
Phones. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/

4 Adapted from Lucas, S. (2012). The Art of Public Speaking. (12th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill